Golf is a recreational and competitive sport popular with large numbers of people of all ages. It is an admittedly difficult sport to master as it requires considerable skill and practice. In the more than 600-year history of the game of golf, mastery of the putting stroke has been the desire, if not the compulsion of every golfer. The putter is one of the maximum of 14 clubs carried by the golfer that must conform to the worldwide equipment rules established by the United States Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Association, St. Andrews, Scotland. In golf, a slight error in the angle of hitting the ball may result in a disastrous shot. Generally, the handle of the putter extends through the golfer's hands, and the precise position of the golfer's hands on the putter grip may be difficult to repeat.
Aside from the various aspects of golf that rely upon a proper golf swing, the act of putting a golf ball is critical to being able to score well in golf. Many golfers, however, struggle to maintain the proper grip of the putter for optimum feel and direction control when putting. Several factors are involved in putting accurately and consistently. One is to have a loose and relaxed grip without tightness in the hands, wrists, arms and shoulders so that the putting stroke can be free swinging from the shoulders with the putter hanging freely from the hands for a free pendulum swinging motion. Another factor is consistency in locating the hands on the shaft so that the controlled swing can be repeated consistently. Different distance putts require different length of stroke and if the hands grip the putter at different locations from putt to putt, it is difficult to judge the amount of swing to apply to obtain a desired distance for different putts. To putt accurately, the golfer must strike the ball along a precise line with a precise speed, taking into account both the contour and texture of the green's surface. Consistent alignment of the putter is required to putt a ball in the desired direction. Consistent alignment of the putter is required to putt a ball in the desired direction. Pros and amateurs alike struggle to find a consistent technique that will get the ball into the hole. When they tinker with their stroke, it is the putting grip that they most often change.
Putters are the only class of club allowed to have certain features, such as non-circular grip cross-sections, bent shafts or hosels, and appendages designed primarily to aid players' aim. According to the rules of golf, all club grips must have the same cross-section shape along their entire length (the diameter can vary), and with the exception of the putter, must have a circular cross-section. Unlike other clubs, the putter may have any cross section that is symmetrical along the length of the grip through at least one plane.
It is well recognized in the field of golf that a proper grip is essential for optimal performance. However, many individuals who wish to learn the sport struggle to develop a proper grip. Teaching aids have been developed to assist instructors when teaching new golfers but none of these teaching aids has proven entirely satisfactory. Moreover, in accordance with the official rules of golf, many of such training aids are prohibited for use during regular rounds of golf, and certainly for golfing tournaments. Moreover, players generally want to avoid having other players perceive their use of any aids, as it takes away from the perception of an individual's skill of the game. Thus, if an aid is to be employed, it should be both non-conspicuous, as well as legally employed under the governing rules of golf.
Putting methods and club designs have not changed dramatically for the last 100 years. The result of this lack of change has been a lack of improvement in putting skills by amateur golfers as well as professional golfers. The traditional putting methods are plagued with numerous sources of potential error, resulting in making the action so difficult that even few professionals have been able to master the task. Furthermore, the great plethora of putter designs that are introduced to the marketplace yearly gives testimony to the fact that very few putter designs include all of the features that are necessary to optimize the equipment for the intended task of even traditional putting methods.
Generally, golfers use at least one golf glove on their leading hand when playing golf. A majority of golfers use gloves to improve their grip of the golf glove relative to the bare human hand, which often provides less grip especially when sweating or when club grips are wet. When a glove is used to provide a more secure grip, the golfer wearing the glove correspondingly has more control of the golf club, thus theoretically enabling improvement of their golf game. The glove can also provide some added protection from vibration and abrasion, although such protection is relatively minimized by the thinness of the glove material. The conventional golf glove is formed of a very thin leather and/or synthetic material, that enables the user to feel the grip of the club through the glove. Common golf glove materials include leather, synthetic leather, spandex, blends with spandex, elastane, and other flexible and/or stretchable material. The material provides a smooth, wrinkle-free interface between the user's hand and the grip of the golf club.
A golf glove is often worn by golfers to provide for an enhanced grip when swinging the golf club. Many golfers, however, remove their golf glove to putt, believing that skin contact with the putter grip provides them with a better “feel” for the putter. The present inventor believes that this practice can further thwart the goal of consistently making putts. There is a long felt but unsolved need for a golf glove that can be worn by golfers when putting that improves their accuracy and consistency, thus improving their golf game.